XIX Commonwealth Games Delhi

With the success of the Opening Ceremonies in Delhi, the XIX Commonwealth Games have officially begun. While the country and operations for the Games have taken a beating for the myriad of difficulties and problems associated with the Games, there are many positive reports coming out of Delhi as the athletes take the stage. Accommodations have come up to par, venues are in good shape and the food in the Athlete’s Village has received good reviews.

The XIX Commonwealth Games in numbers:

• 17 sports
• 272 medal events
• 6,700 athletes and officials
• 71 countries and territories represented
• 400 member Canadian team (athletes, officials and staff)
• 250 Canadian athletes
• Cost estimates for the Games have ranged from US$3 billion to more than $10 billion
• Canada finished 3rd at the 2006 Commonwealth Games with 86 medals

Reports on the Canadian team suggest that the strength of this year's team lays in swimming, diving, weightlifting and wrestling. The team will have the words “laghe raho” written on their uniform. It's a Hindi term which means “be at it.”

So join SIRC in cheering on our team!

Two Cities Vie for the Friendly Games in 2018

Logo credit:
Commonwealth Games
Federation

The host city of the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) this Friday, November 11, 2011 at 6pm local time from Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.  In the running are two cities, one on the Asian continent and the other on the Oceanic continent. The south coastal Sri Lankan city of Hambantota was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami which was reported to have killed a large portion of the town's population.  Their bid for the 2018 Games is part of the major facelift for the city in developing Hambantota as a sports hub, having already hosted matches for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The Australian east coastal city of Gold Coast, located 94km south of the Queensland state capital Brisbane, will be the fifth Australian city looking to host the Commonwealth Games. Australia hosted the Games four times previously, in 1938 (Sydney as British Empire Games), 1962 (Perth), 1982 (Brisbane) and 2006 (Melbourne).

Often referred to as the "Friendly Games," the first Commonwealth Games (then known as the British Empire Games) were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada with 400 athletes from 11 countries competing in six sports and 59 events.  Showing a tremendous growth in participation since those days in Hamilton, the 2010 Games in Delhi, India hosted 71 nations in 17 sports (272 events) for 4352 athletes. The 2014 Commonwealth Games will be held in the Scottish city of Glasgow.

Who will it be? Watch “live” online when 71 member Commonwealth Games Associations (CGA’s) vote to announce if Hambantota or Gold Coast is the host city of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

For more information on the Commonwealth Games, please contact SIRC.

Happy New Year!

The beginning of a new year is a great time to look forward to upcoming events, conferences and to explore new ways SIRC can continue to engage the sport community. We will be presenting great webinars such as the Canadian Olympic Team Marketing Vision by Derek Kent on January 14, 2014 that will deal with marketing vision and strategies as used by the Canadian Olympic Committee for the London And Sochi Olympic teams. On March 25, 2014, Marg McGregor will present Leadership in the Eye of the Storm a webinar on crisis management in sport. The SIRCuit Series will carry on informing on a variety of sports related topics shared by experts in their field to enhance the learning experience of our members. We are also looking forward to the Canadian Sports For Life Summit, which brings leaders together to enhance the quality of sports and physical activity in Canada, taking place on January 28-30, 2014 at the Hilton Lac-Leamy Hotel in Gatineau-Ottawa.

We are excited to watch Canada showcase it’s best athletes at the Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014.

May your New Year be filled with health, happiness and energy to chase your dreams!